This invention is directed towards an electric nerve or muscle stimulator, and in particular a stimulator that is controlled based on detected breathing patterns.
Recent years have seen a rise in interest in western countries in alternative therapies such as meditation, acupressure, and acupuncture, that have been practised in eastern cultures for thousands of years. Interest in more contemporary variations of alternative therapies such as electrical muscle and nerve stimulation has also soared in recent years, resulting in a proliferation of transcutaneous electric stimulation devices appearing on the market.
Numerous branches of medicine deal with the stimulation of the body""s nervous system. Traditional Chinese acupuncture is based on the proposition that stimulation of specific areas on the skin affects the functioning of certain organs of the body and can balance energy levels in the body. It has evolved into a system of medicine that is believed by many to restore and maintain health by the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture points just beneath the body surface that lie on channels of energy. Small electric currents may also be used in the place of fine needles. In Western medicine, sending an electrical impulse to selected nerve fibres in the spinal cord (spinal cord stimulation) is used to block pain messages from the spinal cord to the brain.
Breathing efficiently has been shown to improve and promote health and personal well-being. Meditation and Tai Chi both use breathing methods that are intended to focus the mind and promote deep-relaxed breathing. It has been observed that meditation leads to a xe2x80x9crelaxation responsexe2x80x9d resulting in changes in the body that are deeply restorative and which quicken healing. These changes include reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, blood flow to skeletal muscles, perspiration and muscle tension, as well as an improvement in immunity. Some eastern doctrines, for example Taoism, rely on a combination of breath control and exercise to achieve a healthy mind and body by stimulating energy flow through the body. Some experienced and highly trained practitioners of meditation use stimulation of muscles and or nerves below the base of the spine (for example, the rectal sphincter muscle) and along the back at appropriate times during the meditative breathing cycle to balance energy flow through the body resulting in further promotion of the benefits of meditation. In the past, the stimulation has been done by the person meditating manually clenching or activating selected muscles at certain times during his or her meditative breathing cycle. This requires the person performing the meditation to be highly trained and motivated in order to coordinate their breathing and muscle activity to achieve maximum benefits.
It is therefore desirable to provide a method and device that reinforces proper meditative breathing and that assists a person in stimulating selected muscles or nerves during his or her breathing cycle.
The present invention provides an electrical stimulation device including a breathing pattern detector and electrodes to stimulate selected tissues of a user in coordination with the user""s breathing pattern. Electrical stimulation is preferably performed at the anal area and along the spine of the user at selected times during each breathing cycle in order to assist in promoting relaxation and a feeling of well-being.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrical stimulation device for applying a stimulation signal to living tissue. The device includes a sensor for sensing breathing of a person, at least a first electrode pair and a second electrode pair for contacting the living tissue of the person, and a controller responsive to the sensor and operatively connected to the first electrode pair and the second electrode pair. The controller is configured to determine a breathing cycle pattern of the person based on input from the sensor and cause the first electrode pair and the second electrode pair to apply a stimulating first waveform signal and second waveform signal, respectively, to the living tissue based on the determined breathing cycle pattern of the person. Preferably, the controller is configured to cause the first electrode pair and the second electrode pair to apply the first waveform signal and the second waveform signal, respectively, to the living tissue for predetermined durations during each determined breathing cycle of the person during a treatment period, the second waveform signal commencing a predetermined delay after commencement of the first waveform signal in each breathing cycle. As well, the first electrode pair is preferably adapted to be applied to an anal area of the person, and the second electrode pair is adapted to be applied higher than the first electrode pair to a lower spine area of the person.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for applying a stimulation signal to living tissue that includes: (a) monitoring the breathing pattern of a person; and (b) applying stimulating electrical waveforms signals to the anal area of the person in response to the monitored breathing pattern. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for applying a stimulation signal to living tissue that includes (a) monitoring the breathing pattern of a person; and (b) applying stimulating electrical waveforms signals to the spinal area of the person in response to the monitored breathing pattern.
According to still a further aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical stimulation device for applying electrical stimulation to living tissue, including a plurality of electrode pairs adapted to be applied along a spinal area of a person, a sensing device for sensing breathing of the person, and a controller connected to receive signals from the sensing device and control operation of the electrode pairs, the controller being configured to, based on signals received from the sensing device, cause the electrode pairs to apply stimulating electrical pulses to areas of the person to which they are respectively applied.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.